Adrian's better than Abbas

MUMBAI: What a pity we don''t have razzmattaz in hockey.
Surely the confrontation of young India goalkeeper Adrian D''Souza vs Pakistani all-time great penalty-corner drag-flicker Sohail Abbas would have got the top billing.
One was watching the 5-8 position Athens Olympics India-Pakistan tie for this reason more than anything else. Pakistan had eight penalty corners.In normal course they would have got six goals out of them. But they converted just one. All thanks to Adrian D''Souza rising to the occasion.
Adrian had assured his brother Ashley that he would not care for Abbas''s reputation and charge at him to upset his gameplan. And charge he did making Abbas change his mode of attack.
Often Abbas didn''t take the direct route and passed to colleagues, which blunted the edge of his sword. Let''s take a look at the penalty corners that came.
No 1 Abbas tried a pass but it wasn''t proper.
No 2 Adrian effected a left glove save.
No 3 As Adrian charged Abbas hit out of the left post.
No 4 Again out of the left post.
No 5 Again out of the left post.
No 6 Adrian charged but Abbas flicked into the top left of Adrian.
No 7 Adrian charged out but Viren saved a variation.
No 8 Another dreaded flick but again Adrian made him go wide.
Proof of Adrian''s calibre comes from stats which can''t lie because no one has manufactured them, they are there for all to see. Thanks to the poor calibre of backs Harpal Singh and Sandeep Singh, India have conceded the maximum number of penalty corners till now in the tournament - 37 but have conceded only six goals off them.
India also has had the highest number of shots at their goal. More than even Egypt which is really embarrassing.
But the conversion of goals against is in the lowest bracket (16 out of 94 - 17 per cent) So all credit to Adrian and the opposition forwards.
No wonder Leo Pinto, India''s goalkeeper of three Olympics, says, "Adrian can become a goalkeeper of calibre. I would also rush out. There is a certain time when to rush out and when not to. If there is one player coming one rushes out to narrow his angle of scoring. I have seen Adrian and he''s not afraid to rush out. The goal that he conceded against Australia in the last minute may have been because of an error of judgement," add Pinto.
Pinto laments that our full backs have been of poor calibre. "The backs in our time were solid. Had this solidity been there then there may have been a different story to tell."
Indeed, Mr Pinto. But that has been the story of Indian hockey in recent times. Good halves and backs but no forwards. And now a few good forwards and halves but no bench strength in the back line.
It is time Mr KPS Gill held the National championship which he hasn''t for four years and showed the selectors what bench strength there is. We are looking at the second string from the Junior World Cuppers which is wrong as the show of Sandeep Singh and Co has shown.
There are the in-between guys playing on the circuit who need to be seen. How? By having a National league and a National championship. Come on Sahara, get Mr Gill to be accountable and get hockey back to its glory.